North Korea’s Kim tours ‘huge’ warship, orders shipyard upgrades

Kim Jong Un inspected the construction of a new, unusually large warship at Nampho Shipyard and called for upgrades to North Korea’s shipyards. The effort is part of a broader push to strengthen the navy and develop the country’s maritime industry.

State media described the vessel as far larger than a destroyer built last year. A South Korean defence think-tank assessed that published images showed a 10,000-tonne cruiser under construction, likely able to carry many cruise missiles. North Korea’s five-year defence plan targets building two surface warships each year; the country has also recently tested anti-ship missiles.